Navy Shoots Down Drone, With Help From Dr. Benton Quest

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) has announced that it is determined to "field and test a solid-state laser prototype" in early 2014 aboard the USS Ponce. Take a look at this video showing the test-firing of a prototype laser cannon shooting down a small drone off the coast of California last year.

"Compared to existing ship self-defense systems, such as missiles and guns," a Navy specialist wrote in a report to Congress last month, "lasers could provide Navy surface ships with a more cost effective means of countering certain surface, air, and ballistic missile targets."

(Navy ship-borne laser weapon test video)

This video of the Navy shooting down a drone aircraft is eerily similar to a depiction of a small aircraft of the same shape being shot down by Dr. Benton Quest operating his parapower ray gun in The Robot Spy, one of the best episodes of Jonny Quest from the 1960's. Take a look starting at about 9:30, and you'll see what I saw in my parent's living room in 1964.

('The Robot Spy' Jonny Quest, 1964)

When I see real-world results like this futuristic Navy laser, I seriously wonder now many of the engineers working on this project had seen the same TV program I did...